Pokémon episodes removed from rotation
There are hundreds of episodes of the ''Pokémon'' anime, however, for various reasons, some have been taken out of the rotation of episodes in reruns in some countries by some TV stations. Worldwide removals Dennō Senshi Porygon was aired in Japan on December 16 1997, around 18:30 Japan Standard Time (09:30 UTC). The episode became infamous for reportedly causing epileptic seizures in more than 600 young viewers. As a result, broadcasts of Pokémon in Japan were halted for four months. Since the seizures, Porygon, and its evolved forms, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, have yet to appear again in another episode. According to Maddie Blaustein 4Kids did dub this episode and reduced the flashing lights that caused the seizures. Yureru Shima no Tatakai! Dojoach VS Namazun!! In , Ash Ketchum finished the Mossdeep City Gym, and his next goal is the final Gym at Sootopolis City. Ash and friends journey toward Jojo Island on the way and are caught in an earthquake caused by Whiscash. They then met a Pokémon trainer named Chōta and they started the Whiscash extermination there. The episode was originally set to air in Japan on November 4, 2004, but was skipped due to the episode's similarities to the Chūetsu earthquake on October 23, 2004. The episode was later postponed, and then discontinued. While most of the other episodes were either not dubbed for English-language release or taken out of English-language syndication rotations, this episode of Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation was the first episode to be banned inside Japan prior to its first scheduled airing. The episode was intended to be aired between AG100, "Solid as a Solrock", and AG101, "Vanity Affair". 4Kids removals Beauty and the Beach "Beauty and the Beach", known in Japan as , is banned in all countries that receive the series from 4Kids Entertainment. It is the 18th episode of the original Japanese series. On June 24, 2000, a newly produced English-language version of the episode aired on Kids' WB! as "Beauty and the Beach". Promoted as a "lost episode" special presentation, it has only received one rerun and has not yet been shown elsewhere or released on DVD or VHS. In this episode, the female characters all enter a beauty contest. Team Rocket also enters, with James donning a suit with inflatable breasts. One scene of the episode involved James showing off his artificial cleavage for humorous effect. All the scenes showing James in the suit were removed from the English-language version when it aired. Miniryu no Densetsu was the second episode to be banned by 4Kids Entertainment. This was the 35th episode of the original Japanese series. At several points in this episode, guns are pointed at people threateningly, and warning shots are fired. The removal of this episode leads to continuity problems, as Ash captured 30 Tauros in this episode. The Tauros appear in later episodes, even being used in Pokémon Tournaments by Ash with only one episode that briefly alludes to where they came from. Brock also caught a Tauros, but it was caught with one of Ash's Safari Balls, making it technically one of Ash's 30 Tauros. Kōri no Dōkutsu! , which would have been part of Pokémon: Master Quest, was skipped over by 4Kids Entertainment and therefore never shown outside of Asia, however, it had been broadcast, dubbed, by YTV in Canada. It was the first widespread ban of a Pokémon episode in four years. This episode, much like Holiday Hi-Jynx (although that episode was only removed from rotation in one country) was also banned because of the appearance of controversial Pokémon Jynx. Some people believed that Jynx was a racial stereotype to African-Americans because of its large breasts, big lips, and blonde hair, along with pure black skin. Jynx was later re-edited and given purple skin instead in later episodes. The episode was also banned because of the disease influenza going around (the symptoms were SARS-like). In this episode Team Rocket doused Ash and his friends with cold water inside an icy cave, causing Brock to come down with symptoms similar to influenza. Though according to Carole Boston Weatherford, the SARS part is a myth, and the episode was skipped due to the controversial version of Jynx. Sources *CNN archive news article about Seizure episode *CNN archive news article (2) about Seizure episode *Neuroscience for Kids (About "Dennō Senshi Porygon") *An article about Pokémon controversy, (includes the seizure scene) *Japanese article about the seizure episode *Psypoke :: The Pokemon Anime - Censorship A site that tells about certain things that were edited or banned outright *Pictures from the Preview of "Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Whiscash!" *Japanese Web Newtype (using the 'web archive') *Information about the Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Whiscash! episode Category:Censorship Category:Motif of harmful sensation Category:Pokémon anime Category:Pokémon episodes pt:Episódios censurados de Pokémon